Snowy Knights
by LetThemEatLlamas
Summary: Victorian AU Oneshot. Bailey finds herself caught in a dark alley on a winter night.


**A/N:** I only wrote this for one reason and that reason is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. If you've seen it then you know what awesomeness I am referring to. I got into the wintery Victorian mood, and some how this came out of it...? Yeah, didn't realize how creepy it was till I was half through. But I didn't write romance and I didn't write fluff so that in itself is a Christmas miracle.

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**Snowy Knights**

The first flake of snow dusted the woman's outer coat from the moment she stepped from the dimmed tavern. The sky must have opened up while she was finishing her shift, and she had failed to notice.

She tilted her chin up to the star scattered sky to get a better view of the first winter snow. It had come early this year, she thought, as she began her walk down the quiet, gas-lamp lit streets of Boston. It was not nearly Thanksgiving and it seemed like a blizzard was already on its way.

The wind swirled violently around the white streets, causing her to wrap her woven shawl a bit tighter around her figure. Quickening her pace, she took a left that swept her away from the quiet neighborhood filled with families and snow angels, and into a pitch black alley way. The wind cut away, and she slowed, taking time to dust away the snow that coated her layered dress.

The adjacent street was in clear view when she felt something cold on her arm. And she didn't think it was the snow.

Her eyes grew in fear as she was spun around to a group of men not much older than herself. His icy grip moved down to her wrist, acting at shackles she couldn't free herself from. "Are you lost?" His smile was sinister, revealing rotting teeth that matched his cabbage breath.

She darted her eyes to the other men who wore similar faces, and while the situation was frightening, she straightened up and addressed the men formally. "No, I am not lost. Thank you for your concern, but I will be on my way now." She nodded to the men before attempting to pull her arm away.

Sure enough she stayed locked in place, and the men began to circle around her, imprisoning her from escape. "Not today." One leaned down to whisper wetly against her ear. The shivers he sent down her spine did not go unnoticed, and another set of drunken smiles were all she saw before she felt her back connect with the damp brick wall.

Her screams began to feel even faint to her, like a distant conscience slipping away by the second. Her vision faded into peaceful fireworks, replacing the hideous faces. The feeling of her dress being torn away by savage hands was the last to attempt to leave her.

But it didn't, the feeling didn't go away until the hands did. The hands were ripped away, and she fell. She fell against the cold, garbage coated ground.

She no longer saw fireworks, the inauspicious reality started to fade back in. Voices were shouting, and other voices were shouting back. Bringing a hand to the back of her aching head, she sat up to see the scene unfold in front of her eyes. Squinting the darkness, she could see the gang backing up out of the alley. Hands up, tripping backwards in their own foolishness. There was blood, tons of it dripping from their faces. Their noses, jaws, everywhere. Why hadn't she thought of that? Why had she gone through that alley in the first place?

Putting her hand on the wall for support, she eased her way into a standing position, still cradling her pounding head. It would be difficult to walk home like this. It would also be difficult to explain to her parents why exactly half her clothes were torn apart and why she was soaked to the core, with a possible concussion.

Snatching her overcoat, she stumbled out of the alley, trying to make her way home as quickly as possible. "Wait- wait!" The voices commanded from behind her. "Wait!"

They came closer, causing her to ignorantly burst out into a full speed run, only to land in the pure snow a few moments after.

"Wait!" The voices said once more, running until the were at her side. She felt two men help her out of the snow, as well as tears sliding down her frosted face. She had thought she had escaped, that she was free. That she had outsmart them.

"Are you ok?" One asked, his warm hand comforting her.

"W-what?" She stuttered, looking at the men who chased after her for the first time. Turning her head back and forth she tried to distinguish them, but was unable to in the darkness.

"What my brother meant was, did those men hurt you?" The other corrected him.

What a stupid question to ask. "Of corse those men hurt me! Not like that, but they would have!" The men widened their eyes, and exchanged a surprised look with one another. She slowed, calming herself after the outburst. She tried to remember who she was, taking comfort in that to regain her composition. "Anyways, thank you for saving me gentlemen, but I have to be getting home now."

She began to walk off down the street only to be joined by the two brothers again. "We are not foolish enough to let you walk home by yourself after what just happened back there."

She puffed out a reply, and just kept on walking straight ahead.

The other rolled his eyes at her lack of interest in the conversation. "Anyways, I am Zachary, and this is my brother Cody." She looked between the two, trying the differentiate.

She sighed in defeat, knowing al to well she would be forced to talk at some point. "My name is Bailey."

"Bailey," Zachary pondered. "That's an awfully strange name for a girl." She shrugged, not keen for talking at the moment.

Cody elbowed his brother in the side. "That was rude of you." It was no wonder no girl ever stayed with him for long.

"Oh, it's fine. People comment that quite often actually." She remarked. "Anyways, I live here." She gestured at a dimly lit two-story house, tucked between a corner store and a tailor. "Thank you for walking me home."

"It was our pleasure." Cody commented as she slowly made her way up to the stone steps. Her hand was caressing the brass doorknob when she swiftly turned back to the men below.

She looked rather embarrassed, her head aimed down, hands folded nervously. "Um- I am sorry that I was so rude earlier. That was just rather difficult to deal with."

"We understand." Zachary assured her.

She blushed. "Thank you for being my knights in shining armor tonight."

They tipped their top hats to her, at which she curtsied the best she could. "All in a day's work." With that she shot a glowing smile two the twin brothers before darting inside the house. From there the boys circled back around, going home for the night. On the way back the passed the alley entrance. The two stopped for a second to survey the crime scene only to find that it was laden with the whitest of snow.

Apparently, even the most horrid of incidents can be healed by the innocence of nature.


End file.
